Persad’s slick and tricked street slayer

THOSE who know me have probably realised I am a fan of all things

“old school”. The early 1980s Mk 1

Golf is no exception in this respect, especially the one featured this week. It has some formidable performance enhancements.

The Mk 1 Golf could well be credited with providing the template for modern front-wheel-drive hot hatches. It has often been referred to as the “Ferrari” of the working class.

Phoenix resident Retesh Persad,

28, owns the car we look at this week. His interests include repairing and modifying cars, panel beating, racing, socialising with family and friends, as well as trying out local eateries.

His car has a host of impressive upgrades, such as a two-litre, eightvalve motor boosted by a ported Uflow lift cylinder head, a performance camshaft and a set of 43mm Toyota throttles.

Engine management comes courtesy of a Dicktator performance system. It’s also fitted with a beefed-up gearbox to support the extra power that results from the engine modifications.

Impressively, Persad did all of the mods, repairs and fitment at home. He calls his Mk 1 “Blue Thunder”.

Aesthetically, the interior and outside were kept standard – except for the engine bay, which features a wire tuck with the car’s battery moved to the boot.

This low-slung Volkswagen has a JOM Blueline coil-over suspension, retrofitted with a full poly engine and suspension mount kit.

The Golf also flaunts a cool set of 15-inch, three-step BBS narrows and wides, 7J in the front and 8J in the rear.

These are mated to 195/50/15

Federal rubbers, resulting in a nicely slimmed, tucked and stretched look.

Acoustically, the car has an installation which includes a 7-inch Camtec double DIN media player, mated to a high-quality Pioneer speaker ensemble consisting of a set of Pioneer 6x9s, mids, super tweeters and a Pioneer Premier 12-inch subwoofer for low frequency bass.

It was not disclosed how much was spent on this build.

SERVICE PROVIDERS:

Kevin for gearbox and poly mounts kit Autotronics (Nizaam)

Autozone (Lancin)

Spa Motor Spares Phoenix

Racers’ Edge

G-force Tyres